Control device for ailerons and flaps



. March 1942- E. J. E. DEWOITINE 2,276,688

CONTROL DEVICE FOR AILERONS AND FLAPS Filed Nov. 4, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l am June" zua eue "353%015 BY? 5% ((6- ETTORNGKS March 17, 1942. J. DEQ\ NOITINYE I 2,276,688

CONTROL DEVICE FOR AILERONS AND FLAPS Filed Nov. 4, 1959 Sheets-Sheet 2 mLF. J'ULlEN EUGENE uomnE mvsnrom I Patented Mar. 17, 1942 orrice CONTROL DEVICE FOR AILERONS AND FLAPS Emile Julien Eugene Dewoitine, Neuilly-sur- Seine, France Application November 4,1939, Serial No. 302,803 In France November 28, 1938 5 Claims.

The present invention has for object improvements in warping ailerons, in curvature flaps and in their control devices. I These improvements mainly consist in pivoting each warping aileron on the corresponding curvature flap and in particular at the rear end or trailing edge of the latter, so that, in normal flying position, the flap and the aileron complete the profile of the wing.

The invention solves the technical problem which consists in:

1. Ensuring the independenceof the flap and aileron controls; 3

2. Increasing the movement of the aileron for one and the same displacement of the control member, when the flap is in curvature position,

so as not to modify the pilot's reflexes whilst maintaining maximum efficiency of the aileron notwithstanding the reduction of speed.

The control device, forming the subject-matter of the invention, and which solves the technical problem previously indicated, is characterised by the fact that the control of the aileron takes place from a bell-crank lever pivoted on one of the elements of the curvature flap control.

In practice, the element controlling'the flap and on which is pivoted the bell-crank lever controlling the aileron, is itself constituted by a second bell-crank lever, pivoted at a fixed point, the connection between the first bell-crank lever and the operating member actuated from the pilot's cockpit, being of the sliding type.

A preferred embodiment of this control is characterised by the fact that oneof the arms of the first bell-crank lever controlling the aileron is connected, by links and slide-block, to said aileron, the other arm being provided with an oblong port in which is engaged a claw rigid with the corresponding member controlled by the pilot, whereas thesecond bell-crank lever, on

which is pivoted the first lever, is attached to th curvature flap and to the corresponding member controlled by the pilot.

The invention also includes other particular points which will appear in the following text given with reference to the accompanying drawings. by way of example only, in which:

Fig. 1 is a general elevation of a control .device according to the invention, the fiap being mounted so as to constitute a slot'in curvature position, the slot being closed in said figure.

Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan view.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, the flap being in curvature position and the slot being open.

Fig. 4 is a corresponding plan view.

on the trailing edge of the wing I is pivoted, so as to constitutea slot 2 in steering position, a curvature flap 3.

. According to an important feature of the invention, on the rear or trailing edge of the flap 3 is pivoted a warpingaileron 4. The control of the curvature flap 3 is effected, from the pilots cockpit, by a rod 5 pivoted on one of the arms of a bell-crank lever- 6 journalled about a fixed spindle I. A connecting-rod 8 ensures the connection between the fiap'3 and the other arm of the lever 6, said connecting-rod 8 being respectively pivoted, at 9, on the flap and, at II), on v the lever. I

The control of the warping aileron 4 is effected, from the pilot's cockpit, by a rod I I movable in translation in slideways I2 and which carries a claw or finger I4 engaged in an oblong port or slideway I5 provided in one of the arms -of another bell-crank lever I6. Said bell-crank 7 other end of the slide-block 2I being connected,

by a link 23 to a lever 24 rigid with the aileron.

The operation of the device previously described is as follows: q

The various members occupying the positions indicated, the airplane flies horizontally at high speed, the curvature fiap 3 being inactive For effecting the warping operations, the pilot causes the displacement in translation of the rod II I which transmits its movement, by means of the finger I4 engaged in the slideway I5, to the lever I6. As the lever B is held stationary during this period, the pivot pin ll of lever I6 is fixed and said lever I6 is angularly moved, so as to transmit its movement, through link I9, slide-block 23 and link 23, to the aileron 4, two steering positions of which are indicated in dot and dash lines in Fig. 1.

For actuating the curvature flap 3, the pilot causes the displacement of the rod 5 which transmits its movement to lever 6 pivoted about a fixed spindle l. The displacement of said lever 6, in the direction of the arrow F, is transmitted to the flap 3 bythe connecting-rod 3, said flap taking the position illustrated in Fig. 3. The displacement of lever 6 which carries lever I6, draws the latter along in its movement,

the aileron 4 remaining in the extension of the aileron being shown in dot and dash lines'in Fig.

' 0 According to another feature of the invention,

it will be noted that the lever arm H (Fig. 2) is much greater than the lever arm h (Fig. 4) so that, for one and the same displacement in translation of rod H, a more pronounced warping of aileron 4 isefiected, when the curvature flap 3 is in action and the slot 2 open (reduced speed) than in the case in which said flap 3 is put out of action, as shown in Fig. 1 (high speed). The arrangement of aileron on flap 3, allows these wing surfacesto extend throughout the length of the trailing edge of the wing.

In particular, this control device can be mounted in the pilots cockpit so as to transmit the movement to the curvature flap and to the aileron through the medium of links without the interposition of the same device at each pivotal joint.

It is obvious that the embodiment described and illustrated is given herein only by way of indication and not in a limiting sense. All modifications or changes which do not alter in any way the main features above set forth and. the desired result, remain included in the scope of the present invention.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an aircraft with a stationary airfoil having a curvature flap pivoted to the trailing edge thereof anda warping aileron pivoted in turn to the trailing edge of the flap, the combination, with a lever pivoted upon the stationary airfoil with one portion ofsaid lever'connected to a manual control member, and an arm of the lever having link means connecting the same to the curvature fiap, of a bell-crank lever pivoted upon said arm, link means connecting one arm of said bell-crank lever to the warping aileron, and controlled means for shifting the position of said bell-crank lever independently of the position of the pivotal mounting thereof on the first mentioned lever.

2. A warping aileron and curvature flap control means according to claim 1, having movable control member provided with a projection engaging with an elongated portion of the second arm of the bell-crank lever.

3; A warping aileron and curvature flap control means according to claim 1, having a slidable control member provided with a projection extending into a slotted portion in the second arm of the bell-crank lever,

4. A warping aileron and curvature flap control means according to claim 1, having the link means connecting the one arm of the bell-crank lever with the warping aileron consisting of three links pivotally connected in series, and including a guide member fixed upon the curvature flap for slidably guiding the intermediate link of the series.

5. A warping aileron and curvatureflap control means according to claim 1, in which the first mentioned lever is also a bell-crank lever and-in which the control means for shifting the second bell-crank including a movable member slidably'connected to the second arm of said second bell-crank lever.

EMILE JULIEN EUGENE DEWOI'I'INE. 

